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RochMl«r. Nan Yorti U609 US*

(7t6) *e2 - 0300 - Phofw

(716) 2M- 59B9 -To.

AMONG THE SOURCES OF THE SASKATCHE-
WAN AND ATHABASCA RIVERS.

MARY T. S. SCHAFFER.

Reprinted tram THi BuiLiTiM or TH« Gbookaphical Soanv or Fmiladiuhu,
Vol. VI, No. 1, April, 1908.

AMONG TIIK SOURCES OI' TIIK SASKATCHEWAN'
AND ATHAnASCA RIVERS.

Maky T. S. Sciiaffkk.

Tile primary reason for writing; tliis paper is. that it may bear
its quota of usefulness to any who may be inelineil to visit the
section described. As to tlie location of the ground covered, from a
glance at Dr. J. Norman Collie's map which accompanies Iiis book
— " Climbs and Explorations in the Canadian Rockies," it will be
found to be bfiunded by latitudes 51' 25" to 52' 25", and longitudes
116' to 118'. This is of course a rough outline, but it contains all
the tributaries of those two great rivers of the nnrth, which we
visited. Our greatest trouble in the spring of 1907, was to obtain
information which would be of even the smallest use in pointing
out the way over such almi:ist tmdescribed ground.'

Dr. Collie's book has summed up the work of himself and his
friends, with that of previous workers in the same field, i. c, the
section lying between Laggan and W'ilco.N Pass ; the Fortress Lake
region and the Ilrazeau country belong to Dr. Coleman. As for the
Yellow-head Pass, it is a matter of rather ancii. it history, having
been described as far back as the dnys of Alexander Henry, an
employee of the Northwest Fur Trading Co., who has left us an
interesting diary, which covers the years between 1799 and 1814.
The old history of the pass was of small practical use to us how-
ever, as it was the intervening valleys between this pass and the
Kicking Horse Pass (that which the Canadian Pacific uses to-day),
which we wished to explore.

■ In spite of a general knowledge of the subject, we were unable to get at the
material, and not until after our return to civilization, were we fortunate enough to obtain
literature and maps which would have been so valuable to us in the far wilderness. One
who goes hence should carry Dr. Collie's map. This is easy to obtain, being published
with his "Climbs and Explorations"; Outram's map which n.romp.inics his work — "In
the Heart of the Canadian Rockies," may be of equal value; Dr. A, P. Coleman's
articles published in the Royi;! Gc^rnfliical Journals, are of great use; and James
McEvoy's report on the Government (icological Survey of that section is a most
interesting pamphlet to have. From these few sources is to be culled all the practical
information that can be found on the country.

(48)

■ 7 Th* Sourcts of Soskalchtwm tmd Alkabatca Rnnrt

To know that the expedition «u * momentout one to thote
involved in its lucceu, one hai but to read the w«rningi of thoee
who have gone before. We n»y well call it the "InhoepitaUc
Land." A well-known hunting-country, many have gone into it*
fattneMCf , only to be driven out by itarvation, and the added loiTOw
of kwt, starved, or drowned hoTM*. Dr. Collie but voices that
which may be read between the lines of all those who have written
their experiences in this country. He says : " Jean Mabel's outfit,
like so many others, ran short of provijions and the expedition had
to be curuiled ; and mtich good work of exploration, which might
otherwise have been accomplished, was thereby prevented. Some
day perhaps, it will be possible to obtain an outfit manned and
equipped with sufiicient transport and provisions to last out a trip
of three or four months. At present nobody seems to have mastered
the problem; and the prospect of numing short of food on the
journey remains the most serious obstacle to all projects of extended
exploration among the mountains." < <

That we would be tempted to dally day by day, we well knew,
tiwt the game was becoming, year by year, more scarce, previous
trips and the hard experience of others had warned us; and the
food proUem became a very simple matter in arithmetic. As we
had hopes of reaching most of the tributaries of the two rivers
widiin the latitudes and longitudes given previously we reckoned
food and ctothing for four months. The season of 1907 was an
oncomroonly late one, and it was not till June 30, that we were
able to leave all civilization behind and sUrt for the higher passes.
The morning of the twentieth, was anything but a t>-pical Jtme
day, and the first twenty miles of the Bow trail were not what one
might choose for a pleasure jaunt. It was qritting hail and snow,
which strudc not only our faces but deep faito our souls ; for tiiose
who had not the spirit of the wilds surging in their hearU, had
prognosticated all sorts of mishaps, and if one were kx)king for
" signs," they were about us in profusion. Our caravan consisted
of deven horses, one running li^t, that in case of chafed back or
acciiknt, there would be an extra one to use. This will seem an
extravagance to many, but it proved to be one of the best invest-
ments in the entire outfit, as the appearance of our animals showed
on our return to civilization, not a horse being out of commission,
and every one of them capable of working four months longer.
(49)

yary T. S. ScUftr

The Bow trail to the tummit of the p«u, U at the preMnt time,
rather » diicouraging propoeition, but there if one latitfactioa, h
ii one of the poorei» biU of trail that i» to be experienced through-
out the entire trip. It wa» of cour»e »t iu very worat thU tote
June day, for the mountaini were rtiU di'rharging their winter
anowi into the mdced and >ver-f>owing valleyi. Dr. Collie't map,
compiled from the work do. by himielf, Wilcox, Coleman, Drewry
and McArthur, Noye» and .lompun, wat our conaUnt companion
in the laddle. It it nece«arily far from perfect, diiUncei here
and there being too long or too Aort, but a very good friend to
have at all times. Often when the trail waa dim or obacuted, or
completely kwt, have I thought of and admired the men, who with
only an occadorJil tuggestion that the Indian hunter had been before
them, fought their way through the diKouraging valleyt, found •
pasiage •romd impassaMe gorges, and" eventually retched the higher
pejci of the Rocky Range.

The upper Bow Lake* and Bow Paa» were the first plunge into
fine Kener>-. If one may go no further, this is a trip worth taking.
At the summit, where the spruces remind one of a great natural
park, a short detour to the left leads over easy slopes to the clilh
which overhang Peyto Lake, the watera of which are the out-
pourings of the WapU neve. It is the first glimpae of the Sas-
katchewan country.

Here at our feet Bear Creek (on some maps Mistaya (Bear) bat
never locally so-called) has its rise, flows north, Ups the beautiful
lakes known as the Waterfowl, goes rippling, and gurgling, and
dancing along in happy oblivion to the superb panorama on bo«h
shores— Howse Peak, the sUtely Pyramid, the frownirg Bungatow,
and lastly Murchiaon, kising iU final identity in the turbid Sas-
katchewan at the base of that great, wandering, outspread, pile of
crags— Mt. Wilsc i The days on Bear Creek grew hotter and
hotter. We hurried akmg as fast as our heavily loaded horses
would permit, knowing t>»t each hour was adding inches to ditt
angry, impetuous ri °er and anxious to reach the other side before
we bad to swim foi it. At 4 p. m., on June 25, we had crossed
Bear Creek at ito month (no easy matter wher he water is high,
for the river-bed is covered with huge bowlders) and faced the
first serious proposition — crossing the Saskatchewan River. An
excellent ford across the North Fork may be fonnd about one mik
'50)

Till! Sources nf SajltUiheuaii and .llliabasca Kixcrs

«<■<.( of ll<ar Criek, anil wc hitc in llic nick of time, twiiitv-foiir
hours latir Hiiulil have meant jwinmiinj;.

With min<ls at rest. \vc canip<'(l that nijjht on a hi({h hhifT ovor-
lixjkin),' the North I'ork ; hchinil us rose tlie high walls i,i' Mt.
Wilson, while Mnrchison, Sarbaeh, rVramid, an<l the Freshfieldn
died away in rosy, then purpliuR shadows ; niRht came down, and
»c realized at last our utter isolation. The dcKir was closed for
many davs to come to other conipanionsliip and the situation was
saved from a sense of loneliness only hy nur minds beinfr devoted
absolutely to the destruction of mosquitoes, an occupation which
lasted for several weeks. Trom Hear Creek to Wilcox I'ass the
scenery is a succession of beautiful pictures. About ten miles from
the summit of the pass, the trail leaves the shinRle-flats of the
river and mounts a Iour and arduous hill, eventually rcacliinR a
point about looo feet above the valley, where the timber bein^; scarce,
the views of the receding and on-coming peaks are wonderfullv
fine. .About three miles below "Camp Parker" fan easily recoK-
nized camp-Rround at thi- junction of Xit;el Creek and the .Vortli
Fork), the now fast-dimi lishinj; river makes a deep plunRe. form-
ing what we have called ' Tanther Falls." .Soon after passing the
falls, Mt. .Athabasca comes into sight on the left: being ii,<kx) feet
high, and snow-clad, it is a joy even to eyes now so used to momi-
tains. From " Camp Parker " to the main pass is about five miles,
but a canyon beyond it being said to make that way impracticable,
the trail to the true pass on the right, is a little hard to find. There
is an old and much used camp among the spruces on the high
meadows, called " Camp Expectation." Reaching this, the forest
is skirted for a quarter of a mile, when a pebbly river-bed is reached ;
this is followed up for a short distance when a good trail to the
pass is struck. This hidden trail is well worth a search, any other
route is a hard grind for the horses.

The pass itself is long, heavy, ugly travelling; if the day be
cloudy, it could not be more uninteresting, but being 7800 feet
high, there is a fine view of ilt. Athabasca to the southwest, while
to the north is seen the group of mountains climbed and named by
Dr. Collie and his part)'.

The first drop on the north side of the pass, is a long sharp
hill, where a well-marked trail leads to " Sheep Camp," a name
well-known to hunters. By this camp rims a beautiful stream liead-
(50

'^^

Mtiry T. S. Sclhilh-r :„

me from Wil,- \ l'.is«. wliicli hi- alliTH.ird iiaiiuil • Tancli' triTk."
Here tlio trail ili-iapptMrs :is tlioiiKli it lii.l ilrii|i|i(l into tin- lartli.
It may hi'lp Sdiiii.- future travillor lo know that if \k will i I's this
cri'i'k at tilt camp, iH-ar well In tlii' lift in llu- fiirc«t, lie will siwn
cnmc tiixm a very (;<ki(I trail, wliioli (|iiii-kly Uiul- to the Sii Wapta
ill the valley below. I.itlle Taiiitle I reek ailileil (|iiile a volume lo
the main river (an important branch of the .Vthaliasca ), anil with its
wide sliin(;le-llats and ^'tiardlan nioniitains on l>oth .sides. Imro a
stron;; resemblance to tlic Saskatcliewan tributaries.

I'nlike tile Saskatchewan reRion, however, horse- feeil here is
limited an<l camp-p;rounds conse(|uently scarce. The first po.ssible
stopping-place is at least two miles txlow the main -Su Wapla canvon.
and on the left .side of the river. lAeii that is a very poor place,
bein^; but a small slounb. with scarce feed enoufih for a dozen
horses for one night. The next feeding place is found in the
quick-sand bolt, five to seven miles further down the river. This
does not .sound attractive for the horses, but unless it Ik- earlv
spring, there is little -langer. This uick-.sand is not a pleasing
problem : it extends ilown the river least three miles, and theie
lieiiig no way to go round, it must be traversed. I'.eyond it, and
just north of the creek marked " Jonas " on the m.ap, a large rock-
slide of recent origin, gave us our ne.\t l)it of siud^ It was soon
navigated however by plowing through the niuski . )ii the wes:
side of the river for at least four huntlred yards, «:.en we struck
dry ground and a bit of a trail, and " going " was easv again.
Beyond the rock-slide, Jonas Creek emptied its clear waters into
the muddy .Su Wapta, while a little further on, and flowing in 3
parallel direction, I'oliokton ( reck appeared from .-imidst the thick,
green forest. Dr. Coleman, who named both creeks, told us later,
that the names bad been transposed on Collie's map, but fr>r fear
of still further misundcrsianding — we let them alone. licvond
Polmkton (Owl) Creek, a long, rather low, rocky range marks thc
course of the main river for miles. I-"or a day and a half we
followed it in all its tiresomeness. Reaching the iunction of the
Su Wapta and the Athabasca, and seeing that it still continued in
more or less broken form on down the .\tlial)asca valley, wc dubbed
it " the Endless Chain."

The .\thabasca at this iunction, gave us no such impression of
might and strength as the Saskatchewan at an equal <listance from

31 Tin- Sources of SaskatJidivn and Athabasca Rivers

its source, the great ice-fields of the Columbia and surrounding
peaks evidently contributed much more largely to the southern river.

The Athabasca, at its source, is divided into three streams, and
till they are reached at their junction, almost all scenic beauty is
at a standstill. Not so the moS4uitoes, deer-flies, bull-dogs, and
caribou-flies ; they were there by the millions to torment man and
beast ; but not even they could deter us from a dt jire to see Fortress
Lake, discovered and named by Dr. Coleman in 1893, visited by
Wilcox in i8g6, and Habel in 1901.

In my diary I find this entry, " July 10, Indian Camp (our
camps were all named to avoid confusion). The mosquitoes have
shrieked and buzzed all night about our heads. If the number
increases in direct ratio to the number jf miles we go, at Fortress
Lake we will be breathing and eating the pests." The words proved
later to be almost a prophecy, though it was a matter of flics, not
mosquitoes. While visiting the Soutli or Columbia branch of the
Athabasca, we were surrounded and overwhelmed, one evening at
supper, by thousands of tiny flies, which though tlioy did not bite,
clung in clouds about us, drowned in our tea. became hopelessly
entangled in the butter, died by hundreds in the apple-sauce, flew
into ears, eyes, and nostrils, till we were distracted.

Having crossed the southeast branch of the Athabasca, wc con-
tinued along the southwest branch, which Coleman has named the
Chaba (beaver). Here we found a paradise for the horses, and
made camp under the shadow of a noble crag, which proved later
to be Fortress Mountain, and for which the lake was named. The
lake being still an unknown quantity, the following day we made the
ascent of a mountain (Mt. Quincy) opposite the Fortress and after
a long, hot, weary scramble, Fortress Lake burst upoi our sight.
lying like an excjuisite bluc-grcen ribbon among the spruce-grown
valleys below. It is about nine miles long, with an imposing moun-
tain heavily covered with snow, rising at the far end. Habel has
called it Mt. Blanc, while Wilcox seems to think it the long-lost
Hooker.

Heavy thunder-showers prevented any photography worth men-
tioning, and we returned to camp to move our belongings to the
shores of the lake. Beautiful as the lake in its exquisite setting
is, it is no place for a permanent camp. The eastern end of the
lake is a marsh, while the north and south shores are impenetrable
(53)

Mary T. S. Schaffer 2j

owing to the dense forests and undergrowth. A raft was tlie only
practical solution for reaching the western terminus and main out-
let of the lake, and that was out of the question for us, as we had
nothing with us but our valuable lash-ropes. Consequently we con-
tented ourselves with a trip on our horses to the end of the Chaba
valley, which proved to be about five miles long. Two miles south
of the lake a stream joins the Chaba from the southeast and seems
longer than the Chaba. The end of the Chaba valley is blocked
by two tine glacier-tongues heavily covered with debris ; a huge
avalanche, 30 or 40 feet thick, choked the narrow gorge one half
mile from the extreme end, on our visit in \qoy (Mabel mentions
the same in 1901) while beautiful water- falls on our right fell hun-
dreds of feet from the precipices looming far above our heads.

Ileautiful as Fortress Lake and her surrounding crags were, we
were glad to say " good-bye " after thirty-six hours on her oozing
inhospitable shores and turn our faces toward the more southeasterly
branch of the .Athabasca. To this stream we were particularly
tempted by having seen from a distance, an uncommonly fine pyram-
idal, snow-capped peak, which we later decided could be no other
than Collie's Mt. Columbia. Habel, who is the only other white
person to have entered this valley so far as is known, records it
in a short paper in Apticilacliia as " Gamma," and has reproduced
with it a most striking picture. To the northeast of Columbia, a
long spur juts out from that mountain, which \vc called " Edward
the Seventh." The a.spcct of this valley is totally difl^erent from
that of the Chaba. It is about 25 miles in length ; the stream at
the junction of the two rivers seems to be about one half the size
it is twelve miles nearer its source (bespeaking an underground
passage), while nniskegs and bottomless mountain streams make
the travelling wearisome for at least fifteen miles. The last day's
ride was one of unconunon impressiveness, and I quote from my
diary. "August i. To-day the hill-sides on both right and left,
were wooded to the base with rich, deep-green spruces, mountain-
torrents like snowy threads peeped from amidst the foliage and the
tumbling waters sent forth a nnisic not to be surpassed. The thud
of the horses' feet, the rushing of the glaciated river, and all else
was silent. Columbia, which Collie reckons as 12,000 feet, loomed
in pyramidal majesty at the end of the valley, while high surround-
ing peaks came and went as we crept along among the lower hills.
(54)

J3 The Sources of Saskalchewcm and Athabasca Rivers

Alberta, Wooley, Stutfield, Diadem, and other mountains figured
in our names for the unknown summits, but our point of observa-
tion was far tri. low, to be at all certain of any of them. Caribou
tracks grew more and more numerous ; here and there teepee-poles
on the open hill-sides bespoke the some-time presence of the Indian
hunter. With no timber-work to impede our progress, we rapidly
iieared the base of Mt. Columbia. Our course lay across the wide
shingle-flats, which then, at low water, was a garden of the pink
Epilobium {Chamocnerion latifolium) and here and there silvery
cascades fell hundreds of feet down sheer cliffs."

About two miles north of Mt. Columbia, a much longer stream
oomes in from the west; this we explored the next day, but as
usual, the clouds came down and oblii<;rated everything of interest.
.Apparently there is a high mountain at the far end, and a glacier
flowing from it, seems worthy of study. Having in our ignorance,
dragged our horses to the base of Mt. Columbia, we quickly saw
we must drag them away again on account of feed, so retired to
two small islands four miles down the river, where a limited anioimt
of slou.th-grass was found on the river's left. Throughout the
entire Athabasca region this problem of feed was almost as serious
as the rivers themselves. After waiting three days, we never got
any particularly fine pictures of that wonderful mountain, being
at all times either surrounded by clouds, or else steeped in flat
sunshine.

From the Columbia Branch, we now traced our way back to the
main Athabasca, and from there to the Su Wapta, where we went
in search of the Su Wapta Gorge. We found it within a mile of
the mouth, and though the whole country is a counfy of gorges,
this ( is uncommonly fine. The walls are probably 150 feet high,
the water makes a plunge of 50 feet at the upper end, tiien rushes
s ■cthing and boiling through a deep elbow-shaped cut. Some one
has hewn and thrown three trees across the narrowest part of the
gorge (perhaps 20 feet wide), and cut on a near-by tree the faceti-
ous notice, " Xo toll charged on this bridge." We had intended our
next stopping-place to be Diadem Creek, where we hoped to climb
and locate the peaks named by Collie's party in that section. This
was however impossible as there was not a sign of horse-feed, and
we were compelled to move on up the river for two miles where
we went into camp fur a couple of days. Here we ascended a creek
(55) '

Mary T. S. Schaffcr

to the fine (jlacier at its source, climbed a low mountain on the
creek's left (about 9000 feet), and were tmdoubtedly in the midst
of Wooley, Stutfield and Diadem, hut which was which, it was hard
to say with the Hmited description given by their sponsors. On Au-
gust 16. we climbed Peak Wilcox (10.050 feet), and should have
had an interesting view of the country we had j'tst come from, and
others to which we were bound — but for the usual clouds.

On August 17, wc were camped at 7000 feet, just below Wilcox
Pass. The morning opened with a regular, old-fashioned snow-
storm, and the arrival at our tent-door of a total stranger before
any one was awake. It was a queer sensation, looking out from
one's sleeping-bag and seeing a man when there was no cause to
think that such an object save our own guides were within a hundred
miles of us. It proved to be Dr. Coleman's party. Dr. Coleman who
had threaded the by-ways of so much of this country through which
we had just been, and of whom we had spnkcn .w> often while in
the mazes of the Athabasca sources.

It proved a pleasant meeting in spite of driving snows, and we
parted — they for the Y' 'low-head Pass and wc for the West Hranch
and the i'.razeau country. "The Wer.t-I!ranch-of-thc-\orth-Fork-
of-the- Saskatchewan ! " The most beautiftil valley of all those we
visited, and to go by such a name ! May it some day receive its
due ; certain it is. it I'.as not had it yet. It is essentially a valley of
tumbling cascades and deep gorges, of muskegs and sloughs at
its mouth, and shingle-flats at its source, with few good camp-
grounds except on the pass. It runs in a straight line for alrout
fifteen miles, when Mts. .-Mexandra, Gable and I.ycll, with their
snowy glaciers block the way. Here at right angles, another stream
comes in direct from Thompson Pass and the Columbia ice-fie'ds,
about fifteen miles distant. To avoid the hard travelling which
following the river involves, those who may follow in the future
will find a hunter's shack about five miles east of the base of Gable
Peak, on the river's left. Fifty yards to the cast of it. they will strike
into the mountain and there come upon a fairly good trail winding
over the shoulder of the hill. Xo packs had ever been to the summit
of the Tliompson Pass before, and it took some careful work to
get the loaded animals up and around the rock ridges which balked
us every few yards. What a camp that was by the calm, deep-green
lake, which lies at the foot of Outram's Watchman's Peak! Not
(56)

25 The Sources of Saskatchewan and Athabasca Rivers

even the sipfn of the indefatigable Indian hunter was visible, only
the little people of the wilderness, whose trails were everywhere.
We drank from the clear, cold waters, and named it " Nashan-c^en "
— Stoney for " Wolverine-go-quick," our friend the hunter —
Simpson.

We found the task of taking the horses to the summit of Thomp-
son Pass a much easier one than we had first hoped. It is very
steep in places, but the rock ridges, running transversely to the
valley, made good shelves for footing. A good camp ground will
be found a few hundred feet below the 6800 foot summit, on the
lake shore. A low spur of Mt. Bryce, altitude about <)ooo feet,
gave us that which we had come .so far to see, a view of the great
Columbia ice-fields. Stretching for thirty miles to the north, the
sight was one never to be forgotten ! So cold, so still, so silent and
haughty in their supreme, icy beauty, they well repaid for all the
hardships of reaching them. Outrain says they contain at least
200 square miles, and it can well be believed, from our point of
vantage there seemed no limit to the billows and billows of ice. It
was a grand marshaling of the monarchs. We stood in the heart
of the highest which the Rocky range has to give to those who love
the hills; and at last I was willing to admit, that in spite of the
drudgery and fatigue, there is a fascination in reaching the " top."
The nipping winds however, stiffened our enthusiasm for even that
wonderful sight ; so with a brisk run down the sliding scree, a plunge
through the low scrub, a few tumbles over 'he rocks, we were back
at Nashan-esen Camp, and a delicious supper of bacon and beans.

As we emerged from the wonderful valley, in a downpour of
rain, we christened it " Nashan-esen," hoping that " West-Branch-
of-the-\orth-Fork " might some day be forgotten.

September 5, saw us heading for Nigel Pass and the Brazeau
country. The trail lies on the river's left, and at the summit, it will
be found to wind among the rocks on the south side of the pass.
When once found, the way proved perfectly easy going, hiving no
doubt been a very old Indian trail.

On the far side of the pass, one branch of the Brazeau has its
rise ; this branch we followed for about 30 miles to the Brazeau
Lake, keeping on the river's left for the first ten miles, when what
there is of trail, crosses to the right side, and eventually si-rmounts
a long, hillv shoulder and drops down to the main river.
(57)

-:'.

-Ji

Mary T. S. Scluiffcr =fi

Brazeau Lake is a beautiful, aquamarine sheet of water about
six miles long, whose low surroundinp; mountains, on that sunn\
morning of our introduction to it, wre exquisitely reflected in its
mirrored surface. We found a well-marked trail on its eastern
shore, and every indication that it had long been a favorite hunting-
ground of the Indians. Pushing on by an old and ideal camp-
ground at the lower end of the lake, we camped that night at its
northern extremity. Beyond the lake the valley extends for fully
twelve miles. At its extreme limit rises a fine peak, which Cole-
man has called Mt. Brazeau, and though unclimbcd. be reckons it
at 11,000 feet or over. Tempted by an old but very good Indian
trail, we followed it the next day. to the very limit of horse climb-
ing, or close on to Qooo feet, and readied as drearv an alpine
view as I ever saw. There was but one event to redeem and justify
the expedition. The snow lay deep, even below tree-line, the ic.\
winds whistled through the spruces, and shrieked past the bare
rock ridges, and the low-hanging clouds obscured the higher and
distant peaks. .At last even the dying alpine flowers were left be-
hind, and we crossed a rocky ridge to meet a band of mountain
sheep. Surprised at our sudden coming, in the twinkling of an
eye, they had scaled impossible cliffs covered with ice, and were
gazing down upon us from 1000 feet above. The brave old ram
his head accentuated with a pair of magnificent horns, never flinched
from his post, or removed his eye from the enemy, till in oui
descent, the lower jutting rocks hid us from view. Returning up tlu
Brazeau River, we took a side trip to Jonas Pass, the stream from
which flows into the Brazeau about five miles from N'igel Pass
This pass was tried by a white man in 1893, Dr. Coleman, when
finding his way to the Yellowhead Pass ; and excepting one hunter,
I have heard of no one using it since. In many ways it is an
improvement on the Wilcox Pass by which to reach the Athabasca^
avoiding much that is disagreeable on the Su Wapta. To us at
this late season of the year, it had no " tourist " charms. The
summit of the pass was burdened with two, three, and even foui
feet of snow, which with the hard work on the horses, the brilliant
glare on unprotected eyes from the snow, and the cutting, driving
wind lashing our faces, seemed endless. A fine, solitary black bear,
out for any belated berries, he might find beneath the snow, was the
(58)

J? The Sources of Sa.'kalchcu-an and Athabasca Ritcrs

only bit of life to greet us on the great white silent stretch of
loneliness.

September 21 saw us anxiously scanning the clouds and a rift
in the hills to the south of us, from our camp on the Bra/cau. We
were to try still another new pass, the Cataract, and this also almost
Hiiknown except to Coleman. Being but .-?oo feet lower than " Jonas,"
<"■ 755° feet high, we had little to expect in the way of an open
trail. It proved to be quite all that we could ask to get our horses
through, and was even more tedious than "Jonas." The Indian
trail through the forest is well marked, and had there been no snow,
we might have found such a trail as that which goes over Nigel
Pass; as it was, it was one long hard grind through fine, fluffy
snow, which allowed the horses to sink almost to the rocks beneath,
plunge forward, and sink again.

The south side of the pass is excessively tedious, as much of the
way is avalanche-swept, and the apology for a trail is constantlv
blocked by fallen timbers. From the summit of the Pass to Pinto
Lake is about fifteen miles. Here, owing to a pair of snow-blind
eyes, we were forced to remain over a day ; and as provisions were
getting low, the guides reinforced by three of the strongest horses,
pack-saddles, and ropes, crossed Pinto Pass to the junction of the
Xorth Fork and Nashan-esen Rivers, and returned that night with
the food we had cached at that point. It was only a matter of thirty
miles, but it was over a pass which even Dr. Coleman gave up
attempting with horses after investigating it for that purpose.

We had traversed it the year before from the west to the east,
but that was a different undertaking from this expedition, when the
men were compelled to cut steps in the ice near the summit to enable
the animals to get any foot-hold at all. Pinto Lake has long been
a favorite fishing-ground for the Stoney Indians; they had just
made a visitation to those waters, and as Indians always do, had
cleaned out every fish that would rise to bait.

From Pii o Lake to the Kootenai Plains the trail follows Cata-
ract Creek. It is a distance of about twenty-five miles to its
junction with the main river, more or less uninteresting, and fire-
swept from end to end. In the late fall the Saskatchewan is
et y enough to ford where it divides into several channels near
the base of the Sentinel Mountain. On the golden Kootenai Plains
we rested and dallied among the Indians for a few days, then
(59)

Gahi.e AM) Alexamira CiI.acif.rs in \ashan-esrn \'.'

"Mummery" ox Baker Pass.

Mary T. S. Siltufffr

hurried to the junction of licar treek aiul the Sr.skatclicH.nn. crossed
that river and ascended the \ortli Fork in searcli of a valley, wliich
Outram mentions on liis map. " Thc-\'alley-of-the-I.akes." The
entrance to this valley is quite nine miles from the mouth of the
North Fork. At low water, a ford may be easily made opposite
the rift in the hills, but at high water, can onlv b^ reached by
crossing belosv on the main stream and followinB the west shore of
the river. The trip though short, was an arduous one. and almost
devoid of real interest. We found a very a icnt Indian trail,
which needed much circumnavigating and cutting, to get even our
now depleted packs through; the growth was very heavy and the
way consequently dark and gloomy. By a brawling, noisy little
river, we made the only camp where a sign of feed seemed possible
for the tired horses, and that in the midst of fallen timbers on the
avalanche-swept hill-sides. Outram describes this valley as he saw
it from the summit of Mt. Lycll, 11,500 feet below him; we saw it
at 8000 feet, where we climbed the following day, the sun beating
down upon us, and the surrounding clouds so low tliat I-yell and
everything else interesting was utterly obscured. The lovely lakes
were only sloughs after all and the chief joy of the trip proved to
be that we had been the first travellers to break the sixll of silence
in that lonely cleft of the hills. It had been many \cars since an
Indian had been there, and the only other sign of life, was the blow
of the axe from a solitary white hunter who had passed in the dead
of winter. It was now October 5. and Howse and Baker Passes,
our return route, quite unknown. Up the Middle Fork and to the
Howse Pass, was like reading ancient history. One hundred and
fiftv years ago. the Indians from the Kootenai country took this
portion of the trail on their journey to the Saskatchewan Plains
(hence the name Kootenai Plains), to trade with Kline of Jasper
House. As far as Howse Pass, it was delightful trailing; being but
4800 feet, we were on and over almost before we knew, and soon
tumbling down beside the merry, chattering Blaeberry River. The
instant Howse Pass is crossed, the character of the vegetation
changes, and the trail becomes impeded with heavy fallen timber
and an almost tropical undergrowth. Government surveyors had
preceded us in the fall of 1907, and though the way was not a bed
of roses, miles and miles of fatiguing work had been saved our men
as far as the " Hunter's Cabin."

(60)

I lie .S'iKOii'.t 11/ Sankiililii'uuii 11111/ Alhabasca Rivtrs

Oil Or. t'i)ll c's map. ono has but to follow a plain red line, which
liirn» to the left of the "Cabin"; and the Raker Pass seems the
easiest thinf; imaginable. In reality, the niacberry is followed for
two miles further after passinR the scconil cabin (we never saw
the first one), when the trail turns sharply to the left and winds
up a hill-side. This emerges shortly on a very bowUlery river-bed.
which is to be crossed nt the traveller's discretion, when Haker
Pass with its trials and li tions begins. Again I quote from my

diary. " Quite ignorant of distances by this time, our horses having
had but little feed for the last three days, and having already ccnne
ten miles since morning, we with only our saddlc-aiiinia!s pushed
ahead with the injunction to stop for camp at the first sign of grass."
It was quite nnon. and we hurried along. The trail lay over a steep
moss-c »vcrcd slope, so steep there was no thought of riding : so
steep, that place after place the horses would spring one and two
feet to reach a bench above ; so steep and continuous, that they were
forced to cling to the hill-sides while resting.

Pack and saddle-horses were all soon in a ilrlppiiig perspiration.
Occasioi.ally a call would come from behind. " Is there au\' end to
it?" There seemed none. The 'vay was clear and well blazed,
we must be on the trail and on we climbed — climbed .ill we reached
timber-line at five o'clock. Not a mouthful of feed had we passed
since leaving " Trapper's Cabin " — blueberry-bushes and mess, no
more. Were we even on Raker Pass, and if so, why had we climbed
to this high point.' He could have camped anywhere, it was our
starving horses to whom our thoughts turned.

W., who had pulled us out of so many straits, went off to in-
vestigate; the time seemed interminable ai. we watched the slowly
uescending sun, now almost at the horizon. Mt. Mummery looked
down upon us in icy indifference from across the valley, we stood
clinging to the half frozen hill-side, while the weary, hungry horses,
with drooping heads, tried to retain a foothold on the slippery,
sliding mud. No one had had a mouthful of food since breakfast
(we had come fully twenty miles), darkness would soon be upon us,
we were 7200 feet above sea-level, and under the circumstances,
no one could honestly say he felt cheerful. Then W. returned with
the good news that though he was not positive we were on the right
track, he saw a slough in a valley below, with indications of feed,
and he thought we might reach it before d rk. We forgot hunger,
(61)

Mary T. S. Schiigt'r

mud, colli, cvi'rythiiiK but that grass btlow ; an<l as thouRli the
horses liail lUKkTstood, with us, phiniji'il di>wu a long, mossy gully.
In a very few minutes clmpping loo) feet to a liny stream which wa»
flowing exactly as we wished it to flow. The sight of a horse's
in)print cheered lis ; otlf came the packs " no hobbles to-night, there
is grass in plenty, and wherever we 1k', there are two days' rest for
our faithful friends." The next diy disclosed the f,ict that we had
really struck the Baker Pass, were right. on it in fact; but after
studving the map and the hours of travil the day before wc found
the map made the distance alxiut ten miles, while we had travelled
twenty. Under the circumstances it sceiiieil rather excusable, that
for once we had felt a sensation of lieiug lost, (limbing a shoulder
of Mt. Habel the next da>, we sDon had our bearings, looked down
into the " I lap " and upon -in e\(|iMsite little Like poised high on a
shoulder nearest the Yoho; to the north. Munntiery and ["orbes.
With binoculars we could see the cairns on Collie and the \'ice-
President; and into the l!eaver-tail \allcv— our wa.\- home.